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49528867 (banned)
join:2010-04-16
Fort Lauderdale, FL

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49528867 (banned) to TechyDad

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to TechyDad

Re: Photo Disaster Need Help With Recovery

said by TechyDad:

I managed to snap a couple other shots but as one shot was saving, my camera turned off.

Sounds like it (the camera) failed to properly close the file before powering down, in the future you might want to stick with drycells as their discharge curve is considerably less steep than the discharge curves of rechargeable batteries allowing the camera a better chance (once it detects a low battery condition) of doing a graceful shutdown versus a file trashing crash.

Wayne

TechyDad
Premium Member
join:2001-07-13
USA

TechyDad

Premium Member

I have a bunch of Energizer Lithium that I meant to take with me but forgot to pack. Of course, I'm kicking myself now.
49528867 (banned)
join:2010-04-16
Fort Lauderdale, FL

49528867 (banned)

Member

said by TechyDad:

I have a bunch of Energizer Lithium that I meant to take with me but forgot to pack. Of course, I'm kicking myself now.

Alkaline would be best.

Wayne

altermatt
Premium Member
join:2004-01-22
White Plains, NY

altermatt to 49528867

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to 49528867
said by 49528867:

Sounds like it (the camera) failed to properly close the file before powering down, in the future you might want to stick with drycells as their discharge curve is considerably less steep

WOW, you may have cleared up a mystery for me as well. The same thing happened to me---batteries died quickly, and changing batteries didn't seem to help, so I shut down---and when I put the xd card in the computer reader, nada, "not formatted". Sounds very similar, and the explanation that perhaps the file didn't get closed properly sounds plausible. In my case (two years ago) I ended up reformatting since the pix on there weren't mission critical. Zero Assumption only found deleted files from it, not the current ones, just like Jason.

Will be following this thread eagerly to be better prepared for the next time. Any tips on preventing this, other than using non-rechargeables? I usually change batteries soon as they're low, but that didn't help the one time the problem occured.
49528867 (banned)
join:2010-04-16
Fort Lauderdale, FL

49528867 (banned)

Member

said by altermatt:

Any tips on preventing this, other than using non-rechargeables? I usually change batteries soon as they're low, but that didn't help the one time the problem occurred.

That’s a tough call as the battery capacity monitor within the camera in the case of a rechargeable battery needs to be calibrated to the battery technology utilized and preferably should be able to communicate with the battery assembly.

The problem is in a non-communicating body such as the K-x is where to set the low battery warning and shutdown level, if it is too high the user will complain of short battery life and false low battery readings, conversely if it is set too low, as exampled, crashes and data loss can occur, then to add to the confusion the discharge curve of rechargeable batteries changes as they age hence the requirement for an interactive battery monitoring system.

It is a crapshoot to design a non-interactive system to work properly with older technologies such as Ni-Cad and Ni-MH and foolish to try with lithium.

Drycells have a predictable discharge curve and unlike rechargeable batteries such as Ni-Cad Ni-MH and lithium technology can continue to deliver enough amperage to perform a graceful shutdown long before before flat-lining, as such for maximum reliability I would recommend using dry-cells in the K-x when no loss or corruption of images is critical.

Wayne

Jodokast96
Stupid people piss me off.
Premium Member
join:2005-11-23
NJ

Jodokast96

Premium Member

Which reminds me Jason, did you change the battery type in the camera?
49528867 (banned)
join:2010-04-16
Fort Lauderdale, FL

49528867 (banned)

Member

said by Jodokast96:

Which reminds me Jason, did you change the battery type in the camera?

Shouldn't a body be able to detect and confirm that upon the insertion of the batteries?

Wayne

Jodokast96
Stupid people piss me off.
Premium Member
join:2005-11-23
NJ

Jodokast96

Premium Member

It does have an Auto Detect setting, but that's not to say it wasn't set to something else. And it wouldn't have other settings for no reason. I can't look into any further into the specifics of the setting without being late for work, but I'll check into it later this evening.
49528867 (banned)
join:2010-04-16
Fort Lauderdale, FL

49528867 (banned)

Member

said by Jodokast96:

It does have an Auto Detect setting, but that's not to say it wasn't set to something else.

I would think it would be able to detect what was instated by measuring the loaded circuit voltage and determine from that if dry cells or rechargeable cells have been inserted and then prompt the end user to confirm that selection, that way the body might have half a chance of being able to properly monitor the battery condition and if and when it is needed be able to execute a proper shutdown without trashing the images stored on the card.

Now of course it could be a defective card causing the problem, but on the surface it appears lighting has struck the same spot twice in this thread involving two cards with the only common point being the camera and not the cards.

One can only wonder how many other users have had this happen and never understood why and like the second poster shrugged it off.

Wayne

altermatt
Premium Member
join:2004-01-22
White Plains, NY

altermatt

Premium Member

said by 49528867:

it appears lighting has struck the same spot twice in this thread involving two cards with the only common point being the camera and not the cards.

Just to clarify, my camera at the time was a Fuji, not Pentax, but the symptoms were identical. So at least one other brand suffered the same fate. It also wasn't a cold environment nor wet.
49528867 (banned)
join:2010-04-16
Fort Lauderdale, FL

49528867 (banned)

Member

said by altermatt:

Just to clarify, my camera at the time was a Fuji, not Pentax, but the symptoms were identical. So at least one other brand suffered the same fate. It also wasn't a cold environment nor wet.

Ah ha, I assumed you had the same problem with the same body, though the cause could still be power/file related.

In the OP’s case the camera is brand new and still under warranty, so he may be best served by returning the entire package body and card to factory service and let them sort it all out.

It does appear Pentax did release a firmware update which addresses a battery issue so they may have heard of this problem or similar problems and already have a fix for it.

Bottom line though, any loss of stored images is not a minor problem.

Wayne

altermatt
Premium Member
join:2004-01-22
White Plains, NY

altermatt

Premium Member

said by 49528867:

Bottom line though, any loss of stored images is not a minor problem.

Absolutely, although of course arguably a worse disaster for photogs like you and Jason than for rookies like me . And it does seem, upon Googling, to be a hardly-unique issue and not restricted to Pentax.

I know it's little consolation to the person affected, but I find that often when someone posts here about a problem, the helpful answers, including the ones that don't work, provide quite an education that has helped me numerous times to prevent or respond to my own issues.